


A Taste of Freedom

by owlmoose



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Remix, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 06:25:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4169343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlmoose/pseuds/owlmoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penelo knows just the right way to get Larsa out of the house for an afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Taste of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Suzume](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suzume/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Whisked Away](https://archiveofourown.org/works/111061) by [Suzume](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suzume/pseuds/Suzume). 



The Nimbus gently settled down on the edge of the beach, and Penelo popped out of the ship, a giant grin spreading over her face as she twirled across the sand and toward the large patch of dark green leaves she had spotted from the air. They covered the dunes, heading back into the forest. "Look, Vaan, isn't it beautiful?"

She turned around to see Vaan leaning against the open gangway, arms crossed. "I mean, it's nice, I guess. The leaves are a pretty color. But why did you make me land just for that?"

Penelo took a few steps into the verdant carpet, then leaned down to take a closer look at the little white flowers peeking out from beneath the leaves. "Because I wanted to see if I was right. And I am." She straightened, pressing her hands against her back. "This is a strawberry patch."

"Strawberries?" Vaan's face lit up -- typical boy, Penelo thought, always thinking with his stomach. "Well, why didn't you say it was strawberries?"

"Because I wasn't sure," Penelo answered. "And also, it's too early -- there won't be any fruit for a month or so." She knelt back down and ran her hand over the leaves, their toothed edges tickling her palm. "We should come back when the berries are ready." Glancing up, in the direction of Archades, she was struck by a thought and turned back to Vaan. "And we should bring Larsa!"

Vaan shrugged, as though he hadn't just been witness to the brainwave of the century. "Sure, okay. If he can get away. You know how busy he is, with being emperor and all."

Penelo sat down on the grass, crossing her legs and leaning back against her hands as she watched clouds ramble across the sky. "I'll just have to think of a way to make it an offer he can't refuse."

-x-

Three weeks later, when early summer had come to the coast, Penelo sat in an Archades shuttle, watching the buildings rush by as she headed for the imperial palace. Vaan had dropped her off at Archades aerodrome, then took off again, intending to find an unobtrusive waiting spot in the sky near the palace. There was enough traffic at this time of day to cover him for at least the hour it would take Penelo to get in and sneak Larsa out. She had sent a letter requesting an audience, which had been granted -- eagerly, Penelo thought, pulling Larsa's reply from her pocket, and reading it again. Not that he came out and said it in the note; Larsa rarely came out and said anything. But she could read between the lines. This would be good for him, she told herself. He could use a break from politics, the hard work of governing. It would be fun. Just like it used to be.

Even with the chop Larsa had sent to smooth her passage, talking her way onto this air shuttle had taken some doing. Penelo settled back against the soft velvet seat and looked around her, at the fine lords and ladies who merited such luxurious surroundings. It was different from going to the palace in Dalmasca, where all the nobility knew who she was and treated her with respect, even reverence. Here she was an anonymous girl, dressed in comfortable traveling clothes and openly wearing a dagger at her belt, invading the spaces of her betters. She could see them all sneaking glances at her and wondering how she had gotten in. If they knew she was a personal friend of the emperor, they might take a different tone.

She smiled to herself, enjoying her secret knowledge as she returned her attention to the cityscape. Let them make up their stories. The adventure she planned for Larsa and herself would be far more fun than anything they'd do today.

That thought carried her through the rest of the ride, the walk past the guards and their suspicious looks, up to the steward who sat at a desk outside the throne room and peered down his long nose at her, like she were a bug. "What have we here?" he asked, folding his hands on the desk.

"The Lady Penelo," she said, cheerful. "I have an appointment with Lord Larsa." The steward made a soft harrumphing nose before opening the large black book on the center of the desk, turning each page with an agonizing slowness. "I have a letter from the emperor himself," she added, patting her satchel while making sure that he saw the chop in her other hand. 

The steward ran his finger down the page, then stopped with a flourish. "Ah, there you are." He rose and pulled on the satin cord that dangled from the ceiling. "Please wait here. Your escort will arrive shortly."

Obediently, Penelo perched herself on the edge of the ornate couch that sat opposite the desk. It was purple, the arms and legs carved into hideous designs, and the cushions were old and lumpy. But fortunately she didn't have long to wait; within two minutes the throne room door opened, rumbling against the stone floor, and the Judge Magister stepped forward. Penelo jumped up with a grin. "B-- Judge Gabranth!"

He bowed. "My lady. Follow me, please." He turned, and once the door had closed behind her, she bounded to his side and took his arm as they walked through the short corridor to the throne room. 

"Hi Basch! Sorry I had to catch myself back there."

He inclined his head, still hidden behind its dark helm. "It is good to see you."

"It'd be better to see you if you weren't buried behind all that metal," she teased. "When are you coming home, anyway?"

Basch ignored her question. "The emperor is ready for you," he said, and he pushed open the second door, stepping aside to let Penelo by. 

Penelo approached the throne where Larsa sat. She could see that he'd grown even in the six months since she'd last seen him. His dark hair was pulled back from his face, clubbed low on his neck, and his cheekbones seemed higher, with the last bit of stubborn baby fat gone from his face. He wore a serious expression, his fingers tented in front of his mouth, and Penelo was startled to realize just how much he looked like his older brother. Then she shook her head, and the moment was gone; Vayne's shade was replaced by the smile spreading across Larsa's face as he rose from the chair, lowering his hands and stretching one out in greeting. "Penelo," he said. She curtsied to him, then took his hand, and he kissed her knuckles. "So wonderful to see you."

"Same here," she said, grinning. "You look good. Ruling must agree with you."

He let go of her hand and leaned back in his seat with an elegant shrug as she moved to kneel in front of the dais. "I do as I must."

"And right now that's come with me." She glanced at Basch, who she just knew was scowling at her behind that helm. "When was the last time you got out of the city? Had some fun?"

"I find my moments of relaxation while I can, but you are not wrong in that I have not taken my leave of Archades in some time." Larsa glanced up at Basch. "My calendar is relatively open this afternoon. I do believe this would be a good time to get away." He turned back to Penelo. "Where do you wish to go?"

"It's a surprise," she replied, leaning back on her toes. "But you'll like it, promise."

"Very well." Larsa got up again. "Let me change into my traveling clothes. Gabranth, please notify Cleaves to clear my schedule?" 

"Your majesty." Basch lowered his head in acknowledgement and went back out to the receiving area; Larsa left at the same time, through a side door. Alone in the throne room, Penelo stood up and looked sideways at the big chair on the dais. Why had that been so easy? She wondered why Larsa hadn't taken a break earlier, when he so obviously wanted to.

Basch came back in the room, closing the door behind him. "All taken care of?" she asked, and he nodded. "Good. Tell me, is he okay?" She jutted her chin toward the throne. "He was awfully willing to run off for an afternoon without even knowing where."

"The emperor trusts you," Basch replied. "As he trusts nearly none other. You have been a rock to him, a lifeline to the outside world. If he wishes to tug on the lifeline for a brief escape, he has earned nothing less."

Penelo raised an eyebrow. "So you approve, then?"

"I do," he said. "You and Vaan both have earned my trust as well, a thousand times over. An emperor as young as Larsa must have opportunities to leave the burdens of rule behind, from time to time. I worry that he does not take them often enough. And I would rather he take those moments with you than anyone else in Ivalice."

Encased in armor or no, Penelo rushed to Basch and hugged him. He patted her back with a heavy gauntlet. "Thanks, Basch. That means a lot to me."

"And it is quite true." Basch set her away from him, just as the door opened to reveal Larsa, changed from his purple quilted jacket into a simple blue and white tunic and matching blue pants. With a start, Penelo recognized the outfit as similar to the one he'd worn in Bhujerba, on the day they first met. Did he remember that day as clearly as she did? She hoped so.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Larsa nodded. "May I clear you a berth in the Imperial aerodrome?"

"Nope. We've already got it covered. Which way to the roof?"

"The roof?" Larsa's eyes widened, and Penelo grinned.

"When you travel with sky pirates, you travel like sky pirates. Vaan's been up there dodging patrols for almost an hour, so we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer."

Larsa laughed, and Basch shook his head. "As you say. This way, then."

Penelo grabbed Larsa's hand and pulled him through the side door and into the corridors, the two of them running and laughing all the way.

-x-

The flight to the coast was just under an hour, and Larsa spent almost the entire time standing at the front window of the Nimbus, his face fairly pressed up against the glass. His hair was windblown, his cheeks still pink from the wind that had buffeted them while they had climbed up the rope ladder, dangling high above the palace. The tousled look worked well on him, Penelo thought, as she tied her own hair back into its braid. Vaan, who was at the helm, cast an amused glance over his shoulder at Penelo, who perched in the seat behind him. "So, Larsa," he said. "Haven't been getting out much?"

Larsa nodded, still staring out at the scenery. "I fear not. Too many responsibilities keep me in Archades; I rarely have an opportunity to leave the palace, much less the city. And when I do travel, it is on affairs of state, attended by an entourage of dozens, sometimes hundreds, with a Judge Magister never far behind." He leaned back, then, turning a smile on Penelo. "I confess to surprise that Basch let me go so easily."

"You work too hard," Penelo said. "So does he, but at least he feels like he can help you spare an afternoon." She grinned. "I thought about insisting that he come along, but I was afraid you'd feel too much like you'd never left."

He inclined his chin in acknowledgement. "And I do appreciate it, though I fear I have deprived you of an old comrade's company."

Penelo chuckled and shook her head. "Another time. Yours was the company I really wanted, anyway."

"I thank you, my lady." Was it her imagination, or did Larsa's cheeks turn a bit pink as he turned back to the view? Penelo smiled to herself. He sure was getting handsome. How old was he now? Fifteen? No, she realized, counting up the years on her fingers, sixteen. Old enough, she realized, that she might not have to feel guilty any more about looking at him the way she often caught herself looking at him -- wondering what it would feel like to dance with him, to run her fingers through his long hair.

"Here we are." Vaan pulled back on the throttle, slowing the ship down, letting it hover over the dunes. "Everybody off who's getting off!"

Larsa stood up, eyes dancing. "Shall we descend the rope ladder?" 

"Nope, we're close enough to the ground that we can just jump." Penelo swept her arm sideways, letting Larsa pass by first. "After you, your majesty." She smiled at the honorific, so he'd know she was teasing; he shook his head but answered with a smile of his own as he walked past her. She followed him to the exit hall, just a step behind him, grabbing the two large baskets she had liberated from Miguelo's shop. Larsa was already standing at the open door, arms braced against the sides, and then he jumped, landing lightly with bent knees. 

He turned around and held out his hand. "Join me."

She tossed out the baskets, one of them falling on either side, and then she followed, leaping out the doorway. As she touched ground, she missed with her right foot, hitting with her toe rather than her heel, and she could feel the sand slipping under her as she tumbled backwards. "Oof!" She sat up, rubbing the back of her head, and took the hand that Larsa held out to her. He looked at her -- not up at her, she suddenly registered, but with his chin straight -- with concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, in answer to the unasked question. "Good thing the ground is soft. Anyway, here we are!"

"Indeed." Larsa took a look around him, tipping his head back with a soft smile. "Ahh, yes. You were right, Penelo. Sun and some fresh sea air were exactly what I needed."

"That's not all I brought you here for." Penelo took his hand, threading their fingers together, and pulled him forward into the strawberry patch. The leaves were still dark, but she could see flashes of bright red peeking through. She had judged the time right, then. "Do you see them?"

Larsa knelt down into the dark green leaves and Penelo followed, his fingers still loosely entwined with hers. They were soft and just a little bit warm. "Are those strawberries?" He reached out with his free hand and took a berry between long, elegant fingers, and with a quick tug he pulled it free. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. "What lovely perfume." 

Penelo followed his lead, breathing deeply, and the sweet smell of fresh strawberries filled her senses. "That means they're ripe," she said.

"Indeed." Larsa let go of her hand to pull off the crown, then popped the fruit in his mouth, his lips curving into a smile. "Ah, an excellent strawberry. As good as the best in the Archadian markets. But this is better. It tastes like freedom." He picked another berry, larger than the first. "Please, try one."

"Thanks." Penelo held out her hand, and he dropped it into her palm. She hulled it, then took a bite -- it was a large berry, too big to eat in a single bite. The flavor exploded in her mouth in a burst of seeds and juice, and she laughed, wiping the juice off her chin. "Mmm, yummy."

Larsa rocked back on his heels and considered her. "Did you know how I adore strawberries? Perhaps Basch told you, or Ashe? She must have seen me admiring Dalmascan berries at some state dinner or another."

Penelo shook her head. "Just a guess. That, and the idea of getting you out of that stuffy palace for an afternoon."

Larsa looked out over the velvet carpet. "And this strawberry patch, also a lucky find?"

"I saw it from the air a few months ago, before the fruit was ripe." Penelo tapped her temple. "But I knew right away that I wanted to bring you when the time was right."

"Your timing is impeccable." Larsa looked up at the blue sky, then back at her, a warm light in his blue eyes. "Another strawberry, my lady?" 

"All the strawberries you want." Penelo pointed toward the baskets. "One for me, and one for you."

"Excellent." He held his hand out again, and Penelo took it. "I look forward to a dinner of strawberries under the stars." And as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, Penelo found she was looking forward to it, too, even more than she had imagined.


End file.
